Neil would have loved to bathe with Calliope, but instead he found himself cordoned off in his own section of the men's bath. He couldn't tell if he was away from the others because he was a foreigner or he was given special treatment, or perhaps he had paid more than usual. Either way, the water was hot and he let his muscles relax. Neil lay his head back and let it simmer, but unfortunately the water was colder at the edges, and he found himself constantly dragging himself back to the middle. Well, he supposed it kept people from falling asleep in the pool, which was smart. 

Almost an hour later, he pulled himself out and walked back to the corridor he was bade to, the archway frames by statues of great serpents with manes like lion's. He stepped into the room he thought was where his clothes would be, but he was only half right. Four men wrapped in plain white and wearing turbans stood in there too, and Neil raised his eyebrow at them staring him standing there stark naked. His old clothes on the ground at the corner of the room, cleaned and neatly folded, as were his effects. To the right was a huge open door that led into a closet where stacks and stacks of clothes were placed, along with shoes and sandals on the floor.

"Eyes up here fellas." He told them, placing both his pointer and middle finger near his eye level. "Can I help you?" 

"We will help you, master Edwards." The man furthest left said, giving a small bow. 

Fifteen minutes later, with a lot of uncomfortable measurements and prodding, Neil stepped into the palatial room as Rashim was showcasing Calliope's outfit to the dark woman. Neil himself wore a coat of red, gold, yellow, and blue stripes with red at the center and encompassing the end of the wide sleeve. The coat covering a velvety, long-sleeved top a dark navy color, and he bore a gold sash belt. His trousers were a type of şalvar, baggy until ending at the ankle tightly, and his cleaned feet were in sandals. He looked quite good, though he felt slightly silly. He didn't think the same of Calliope.

"Selene help me," he said quietly, invoking the goddess of beauty when Calliope turned to look at him. Somehow the clothes fit her in both style, and fit her in form like a glove. She was certainly not Aradian, but her eyes were sharp and accentuated and she looked like someone who could barter the fate of cities with a promise of a kiss.

"Ah, the other is here!" Rashim said, clapping happily. He hustled over to Neil and pulled him closer to Calliope, letting him stand in the mirror with her. They looked like royalty to Neil, though it was likely an upper middle-class outfit or something wealthy merchants wore to impress true nobility. "I dare say the Seven Princes would be pleased, and I can see you are as well, yes?" 

"Yeah, did a hell of a job." Neil replied, placing his hands on the inner edge of his jacket and turned around, admiring himself. 

"The bath, the clothes, now the food! Now, we shall prepare. Close the door where the wind blows and we shall return shortly." He said, and ushered the other men out of the door with a quick snap of a word in his native tongue. They hustled out. Neil looked after them curiously, but Calliope decided to sit and lounge on the strange, square cushioned couch that surrounded the table on three sides. It was too short to sit on, so one lay on their hip to lazily eat. 

"What was he talking about?" 

"It means relax. An ancient proverb," She said, patting the cushion next to her. Neil sat down beside her, and looked up at the inverted ceiling with the patterns of flowers and designs. 

"Fancy..."